Diagnostic Accuracy Prior to Congenital Heart Defect Surgery: A Multicenter Collaboration.

Background: Echocardiography is the mainstay for diagnosing congenital heart disease (CHD). Diagnostic errors can lead to suboptimal surgical outcomes.

Objectives: This multicenter pediatric echocardiography collaborative learning initiative explores reasons for diagnostic errors, investigates associations between patient- and center-specific factors and errors, and relays the benefits of a multicenter approach to decrease these errors as a first step to improve CHD surgical outcomes.

Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm in a Preschooler With Schuurs-Hoeijmakers Syndrome.

Severe right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) obstruction developed in a 4-year-old boy with Schuurs-Hoeijmakers syndrome and history of double-outlet right ventricle, tetralogy of Fallot type, status post repair with transannular patch augmentation of the RVOT. Echocardiography and computed tomography defined the presence of a 1 × 1-cm sinus of Valsalva aneurysm protruding into the RVOT, causing obstruction. Resection and repair of the aneurysm by a 2-patch technique as well as resection of RVOT muscle bundles and revision of the transannular patch were performed.

Novel Utilization of Ultrasound Enhancing Agents in Complex Congenital Heart Disease Following Superior Cavopulmonary Connection.

Background: Children with single-ventricle congenital heart disease typically undergo a superior cavopulmonary connection (SCPC) as the second stage in their surgical palliation. Postoperatively, stenoses of the SCPC and branch pulmonary arteries can occur. If there are clinical concerns and echocardiography is insufficient for diagnosis, patients undergo invasive evaluation with exposure to radiation and anesthesia.

Stent Angioplasty for Post-Operative Coronary Artery Stenosis in Infants.

Introduction: While frequently performed in the adult population, percutaneous coronary artery stent angioplasty (CSA) in infants is rare. CSA in infants is challenging because of limited options in terms of appropriately sized (length and diameter) stents, concern about stenting vessels with significant growth potential and limited data regarding durability of benefit. We report a multicenter case series of infants who underwent CSA.

Sustained improvement in fellows' echocardiographic completeness through the coronavirus pandemic with a standardised imaging protocol.

First-year cardiology fellows must quickly learn basic competency in echocardiography during fellowship orientation. This educational process was disrupted in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, as our hands-on echocardiography teaching transitioned from practice on paediatric volunteers to simulation-based training. We previously described an improvement in echocardiographic completeness after implementation of a standardised imaging protocol for the performance of acute assessments of ventricular function.

Impact of Transcatheter Pulmonary Artery Intervention Following Superior Cavopulmonary Connection on Pulmonary Artery Growth.

Introduction: Balloon and stent angioplasty of the pulmonary arteries (PAs) are frequently performed following superior cavopulmonary connection (SCPC), not only to normalize the caliber of the affected PA but also in hopes of maximizing downstream growth over time. There are limited data on the impact on subsequent PA growth prior to total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC).

Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study was performed on children who underwent transcatheter (TC) PA intervention following SCPC between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2018.

Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement With the Sapien Prosthesis.

Background: There are limited published data focused on outcomes of transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) with either a Sapien XT or Sapien 3 (S3) valve.

Objectives: This study sought to report short-term outcomes in a large cohort of patients who underwent TPVR with either a Sapien XT or S3 valve.

Methods: Data were entered retrospectively into a multicenter registry for patients who underwent attempted TPVR with a Sapien XT or S3 valve.

Vagal Termination of Ventricular Tachycardia in a Pediatric Patient.

Ventricular tachycardia is a rare clinical entity in pediatric patients and typically requires chemical and/or electrical intervention to convert into a sustained sinus rhythm. However, for certain forms originating from the right ventricular outflow tract, conversion with adenosine and vagal maneuvers has been demonstrated in adult patients. In this case, we suggest that pediatric patients with right ventricular outflow tract ventricular tachycardia who are hemodynamically stable may benefit from a trial of vagal maneuvers.